Description
Please Note: In response to customer requests, we are implementing an automatic bid bump: if your proxy bid meets or exceeds the reserve price, bidding will jump up to meet that price and you will see “Reserve price has been met” under the price. Please contact abhi@iconicmotorbikes.com if you have any questions!
Additional photos of this Ducati 916 Senna are available here for your perusal.
Ducati’s 916 was an instant classic as soon as it was shown to the world. Built for 5 years before evolving into the 996, this bike was one of Massimo Tamburini’s crowning achievements. Though it produced less horsepower than the Japanese competition, the engine made more torque, and no bike from any country could compete on style.
In 1998, the Guggenheim featured an exhibit called “The Art of the Motorcycle”. The 916 was one of the few modern bikes to make the cut.
But you probably already know all about the 916 and what makes it fantastic – the lovely single-sided swingarm, designed to speed up wheel changes during races, for example. Or the underseat exhausts that cleaned aesthetic lines, but also aerodynamic flow. Forget all that for a moment. Today we’re featuring a very special version of this classic – the Ducati 916 Senna. Built as a fund-raiser for the late Ayrton Senna’s namesake foundation, Ducati took just under 1,000 of their standard 916 two-seaters (known as the biposto), and added carbon fiber in a few choice places – like the clutch cover, front fender, exhaust pipe insulation panel, and mudguard. You also got one of the coolest paint schemes to ever grace a Duc – metallic gray with red wheels, and multiple Senna decals. It is one of the rarest 916s ever made.
Ayrton Senna was a personal friend of the Castiglioni family (partially, no doubt, because he was a repeat high-profile Ducati customer), and personally agreed to the first run in his honour before his demise. Profits from the reps went to the Senna Foundation, to provide Brazilian kids with free sports facilities, as long as they went to school. The first run arrived in 1995 – silver with red wheels, with a Strada-spec engine (minus the posh Pankl rods) and SP chassis (Öhlins shock, cast-iron, fully-floating Brembo discs and braided brake hoses).
This example (VIN: ZDM916S004952 DGM53619DM) is number 58 of 300 from the first (of three) series’ of production.
It came to us from Japan – it was originally scheduled to be listed in a public auction but the seller reached out to us beforehand and sold it us. We do not have any history on this machine.
The odometer shows 4,347 kilometers (2,701 miles).
In preparation for the listing, we installed a new front brake master assembly, upper chain slider, and lower chain slider. We also changed the oil, flushed the brake fluid (front and rear), flushed the coolant, and changed the timing belts. We also refinished the carbon fiber airbox and front fender as they were a bit dry and dull and spent a full day detailing the bike as it was dusty from sitting in a collection.
Lastly, we installed new Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa II tires with date codes of 3920 and 4720.
Modifications:
The only modification we note is a license plate holder from what we believe was the original dealership, Murayama Motors. They are no longer in business but they were passionate about Ducatis, even making a special run of Pasos.
Cosmetic Blemishes:
Inside of the tank:
The sale includes one key.
Currently located at our facility in Santa Monica, California, this Ducati is offered on a clean Oregon title. Have any 916 Senna stories or questions about this listing? Let us know in the comments!
Please Note: In response to customer requests, we are implementing an automatic bid bump: if your proxy bid meets or exceeds the reserve price, bidding will jump up to meet that price and you will see “Reserve price has been met” under the price. Please contact abhi@iconicmotorbikes.com if you have any questions!
